Unfortunately, it appears the special session in Springfield will end with no outcome to a gaming bill. No vote was taken Tuesday on the new gaming bill (primarily because several key Reps. weren't in attendance).

It's anybody's guess where this leaves us. Please remember that in addition to the entire racing industry (harness horsemen, t-bred horsemen, and all racetrack owners) the city of Chicago and five other Illinois cities desperately want a gaming bill to pass. In addition, Illinois is flat broke and has a very high unemployment rate. Somehow and in someway a bill to placate all of these participants and fix these issues will become law.

Unfortuately slots are a band aid solution for racing because eventually the slot operators will state that the cost of racing is to high to justify the number of race days being run and it will get eroded til there is next to nothing and all these tracks just end up as slot parlours. The Ontario example is perfect great canadian gaming which operates flamboro and georgian has been trying to reduce racedates by 40 % and while the ORC has not let them yet it is bound to happen outside of weg and the quarter horse track in oshawa all other tracks applied to have racedates cut by anywhere from 10-30 %. Although it was good here for 10 years the industry problems are now showing up here as welll horse racing must be able to stand on its own feet without slot money. Good luck to you Chicago folks

thanks to DAVE,. like you say, something will happen at some point. we,you must stay at it so we get our fair share. dont rule out chicago trying to go it alone !! youve done all that you could !! dont trust lang !!

pay me to go down there.. im sure id get something done... id use the money for my bond... wouldnt leave out of there with out the signature lol id like to thank the IHHA for their attempt to get "things done" in springfield. shit happens win some lose some .. live to fight another day!

the ihha has been spending hundeds of thousands of dollars a year on lobbyist and they have not gotten the job done....they may be nice guys and talk a good game but there is no results

ps. go *** yourself

If your so damn smart go down to Springfield yourself and try and get something done! You can go on this board and criticize everyone involved but what have you done? I guess your thread to contact Quinn didn't work either, so I will blame YOU! He Heard you were a horseman and said I can't support this bill because this goof is for it!Now cuss me out Mr honestnothing!

PS Who is going to be the Bad driver of the week this week because you SUCK as a Gambler!

Weren't the purse just increased 50%? I suppose the harness gods just came down off of Mt. Olympus and just mandated that purse hike. Or was that a legislated effort achieved by racing lobbyists?Please, Honest Horseman, change your screen name and start with a clean slate. Your mystifying lack of comprehension in regards to legislative efforts is pathetic.

Weren't the purse just increased 50%? I suppose the harness gods just came down off of Mt. Olympus and just mandated that purse hike. Or was that a legislated effort achieved by racing lobbyists?Please, Honest Horseman, change your screen name and start with a clean slate. Your mystifying lack of comprehension in regards to legislative efforts is pathetic.

Weren't the purse just increased 50%? I suppose the harness gods just came down off of Mt. Olympus and just mandated that purse hike. Or was that a legislated effort achieved by racing lobbyists?Please, Honest Horseman, change your screen name and start with a clean slate. Your mystifying lack of comprehension in regards to legislative efforts is pathetic.

Wonder what certain people influenced all the Senators (52 at that time) to vote for the passing of HB 1918 and it passed both the House and Senate then became law.$60-70,000 SIGNED contract + room and board and travel expenses covered and I'll personally pass a bill down there and convince ds Guv,

FROM LAST YEAR WHEN THEY HAD THE VOTES AND NEVER CALLED THE BILL TO THIS YEAR WITH ALL THE SMOKE AND MIRRORS....LANG AND OTHERS SEEM NOT TO BE ON THE SQUARE,,,,,,,,I BELIEVE THEY WERE GONNA TRY TO CONVINCE US FOR THE CHICAGO CASINO ONLY NO SLOTS AT TRACKS...... WHEN THAT DID NOT HAPPEN ALL THE .... WOULDA ..SHOULDA ..AND MAYBE'S CAME OUT....... DAVE I BELIEVE U TRIED ,, I BUST A LITTLE BUT U KNOW I GOT 2..........WE WERE LIED TO IN THE BEGINNING AND ARE GETTING LIED TO ALL THE WAY TO THE END............APPRENTICE,,,,, ITS OVER FOR THE SLOTS IN IILINIOS

The tooth fairy does a much better job on stalls than the Easter Bunny, at least for us. The tooth fairy also is good at washing blankets, coolers, leg wraps and towels. Pretty good at rolling the leg wraps, too.

The Easter Bunny, though, is more meticulous about washing water buckets, feeding, putting a horse on water, packing feet and rubbing and wrapping legs on the day a horse doesn't jog.

How much are the lobbyist paid? Does the money come from the purses? How much money does the IHHA take from the purses of each program? Are our lobbyist in the group that makes things happen in Springfield or are they in the group that simply report what happened?

Sad to say, I have a better chance of sweeping the 10 race card tonight than the tracks have of getting slots. The IHHA has done a hell of a job trying. You could double the amount spent on lobbyists and get the best in the world and they still will have no chance. I hope I am wrong, but all long as Quinn is around, no slots.

Sad to say, I have a better chance of sweeping the 10 race card tonight than the tracks have of getting slots. The IHHA has done a hell of a job trying. You could double the amount spent on lobbyists and get the best in the world and they still will have no chance. I hope I am wrong, but all long as Quinn is around, no slots.

either way you cut it the guys that are doing it now are not getting it done

but i guess since they are cool guys to drink with at the state fair they should keep their jobs

The tooth fairy does a much better job on stalls than the Easter Bunny, at least for us. The tooth fairy also is good at washing blankets, coolers, leg wraps and towels. Pretty good at rolling the leg wraps, too.

The Easter Bunny, though, is more meticulous about washing water buckets, feeding, putting a horse on water, packing feet and rubbing and wrapping legs on the day a horse doesn't jog.

most of that work is done by illegal immigrants that dont speak english not the trainers........you guys all will stick together on this because you don't want to lose the income......but does it really matter? don't charge at all on sundays and just make up for it over billing for other stuff

either way you cut it the guys that are doing it now are not getting it done

but i guess since they are cool guys to drink with at the state fair they should keep their jobs

They or no one else would get the job done. Quinn is in the hip pocket of the casino interests and he isn't budging. Maybe if we cancelled all purses and raced for free, giving all purse money to Quinn, we would get slots--or maybe not.

http://Well, surprise, surprise- I'm an owner, not a trainer. And you are neither. Pork

So are you a success at this sport as an owner or do you accept the status quo because thats how everybody else does it??? Im a former owner and think back on all the times on knew I got screwed and thought there had to be many more times I never knew of that I was screwed....The trainer charges 7 days a week for training....but he only trains or attends to the horse 6 days a week(if that)....he gets something for nothing. Thats bad business for the owner. Pay the groom the $15 for the day to check on the horse and feed it....thats what they are there for. People in this forum, especially IL horseman, need to try a different direction and open their minds to save a dying sport. Sometimes agreeing to disagree is the best approach....not telling people to go **** yourself. The system in IL(and other places) is broken and dying....grooms need trainers and trainers need owners etc...etc....the IHHA is trying hard but running out of time....if IL horseman have an ace in the hole they need to pull it now!!!

Did you mean you rally against cheaters and shifty trainers?What have you done to stop this lately?

Did you mean you Carey's have it bacwards?Either way I still don't know what you are trying to say.

p.s. go f*ck yourself

carnies....like carnival folk

.just by seeing that it exist and pointing it out on forums is more than most do while you guys just sit back and let these cheating trainers steal from you.......i have raced in a handful of overnights the past 10 years because you have no shot against the juicers and crooked drivers........

"ps go *** yourself" is my line so i would appreciate it if you would choose a different one

.just by seeing that it exist and pointing it out on forums is more than most do while you guys just sit back and let these cheating trainers steal from you.......i have raced in a handful of overnights the past 10 years because you have no shot against the juicers and crooked drivers........

"ps go *** yourself" is my line so i would appreciate it if you would choose a different one

most of that work is done by illegal immigrants that dont speak english not the trainers........you guys all will stick together on this because you don't want to lose the income......but does it really matter? don't charge at all on sundays and just make up for it over billing for other stuff

I'm an owner. But I've been around the barn enough to know that a horse gets as much, if not more, attention on the day they stand.

I'm an owner. But I've been around the barn enough to know that a horse gets as much, if not more, attention on the day they stand.

there is always a angle and trainers round things up to their favor....fair billing is what would be best

if your horse is lame and has not trained in a week then don't charge like you were training the horse for a week knowing that the owner has no idea the horse is lame because he is not at the barn everyday

on race days you charge for paddocking and transportation (which i am fine with) but you also charge for training that day when everybody knows the horse does not leave his stall

When a horse gets to a trainers barn for the first day they charge a full day no matter what time the horse gets there

when the horse leaves the trainer for a sale or to go to another trainer you pay for the full day even though the horse is picked up @ 8:00 am

charge 52.50 a day and don't charge on sundays instead of charging 45 everyday

I guess I am in the wrong business.....crazy me thinking I should not pay for services that have not been rendered....

no response is needed ...i know that most of this board are not in agreement with me on this....i just hope that maybe one trainer will read this and a light bulb will go on and say to him/herself "ya he is right...i should stop trying to screw over my owners every chance I get"

there is always a angle and trainers round things up to their favor....fair billing is what would be best

if your horse is lame and has not trained in a week then don't charge like you were training the horse for a week knowing that the owner has no idea the horse is lame because he is not at the barn everyday

on race days you charge for paddocking and transportation (which i am fine with) but you also charge for training that day when everybody knows the horse does not leave his stall

When a horse gets to a trainers barn for the first day they charge a full day no matter what time the horse gets there

when the horse leaves the trainer for a sale or to go to another trainer you pay for the full day even though the horse is picked up @ 8:00 am

charge 52.50 a day and don't charge on sundays instead of charging 45 everyday

I guess I am in the wrong business.....crazy me thinking I should not pay for services that have not been rendered....

no response is needed ...i know that most of this board are not in agreement with me on this....i just hope that maybe one trainer will read this and a light bulb will go on and say to him/herself "ya he is right...i should stop trying to screw over my owners every chance I get"

i agree with you 100%but not one trainer will EVER give an owner a fair shake..aint gonna happen...NEVER..they will nickeland dime their owners for every last dollar they can make...my advise to you is get out of this carny carnival business ..ASAP..you will feel so much better..

i agree with you 100%but not one trainer will EVER give an owner a fair shake..aint gonna happen...NEVER..they will nickeland dime their owners for every last dollar they can make...my advise to you is get out of this carny carnival business ..ASAP..you will feel so much better..

So are you a success at this sport as an owner or do you accept the status quo because thats how everybody else does it??? Im a former owner and think back on all the times on knew I got screwed and thought there had to be many more times I never knew of that I was screwed....The trainer charges 7 days a week for training....but he only trains or attends to the horse 6 days a week(if that)....he gets something for nothing. Thats bad business for the owner. Pay the groom the $15 for the day to check on the horse and feed it....thats what they are there for. People in this forum, especially IL horseman, need to try a different direction and open their minds to save a dying sport. Sometimes agreeing to disagree is the best approach....not telling people to go **** yourself. The system in IL(and other places) is broken and dying....grooms need trainers and trainers need owners etc...etc....the IHHA is trying hard but running out of time....if IL horseman have an ace in the hole they need to pull it now!!!

Successful in my own way. The excitement of seeing my horse in position to win in the stretch.Now and then a picture. Is it worth the $? When you get to be over 65, not too many things will get you that feeling. My trainer is honest! You and dishonesthorseman implying that all trainers are dishonest is just wrong. Think about what you propose: that charges are only applied to the actual time the trainer is in the barn or jogging the horse. What about the days/nights when he/she is traveling racing your horse. Should you get billed more on those days? Double billed for overtime? A complete billing nightmare. Im sure that you both have your own reasons for bad feelings about trainers. Don't paint with such a broad brush.Your own bad experience does not give you the right to label all others thusly. Are all coaches pedophiles? Pork

http://Successful in my own way. The excitement of seeing my horse in position to win in the stretch.Now and then a picture. Is it worth the $? When you get to be over 65, not too many things will get you that feeling. My trainer is honest! You and dishonesthorseman implying that all trainers are dishonest is just wrong. Think about what you propose: that charges are only applied to the actual time the trainer is in the barn or jogging the horse. What about the days/nights when he/she is traveling racing your horse. Should you get billed more on those days? Double billed for overtime? A complete billing nightmare. Im sure that you both have your own reasons for bad feelings about trainers. Don't paint with such a broad brush.Your own bad experience does not give you the right to label all others thusly. Are all coaches pedophiles? Pork

I would love for everybody that feels that there trainer has never screwed them to post their name so we all can give them horses......i don't know who you are crapping....when my horse races out of state I get billed for hotels and expenses along with shipping charges

do me a favor and go to the qualifiers at Balmoral and talk with a few of us....all of us have the same stories

and my name is honesthorseman....you made a mistake and wrote dishonesthorseman

trainers take owners for granted and when it is all said and done and there are no owners left who is to blame?

It sure appears to me that this bunch of lobbyist should have been let go two or three years ago. It looks like Tony and David have been doing the work while these guys and the gal collect the paychecks. Doesn't the "hundreds of thousands of dollars" come out of the purse account? Does anyone on here know how much this bunch is paid?

Did any of the lobbyist get an all expense paid trip to Florida this past week? If so how many went, how much did that cost, and did that money come from horsemen's purses also? If any of them were down there were they gone on the day the Ill G. A. was in session in Springfield? Just wondering how things work in your state.